


Forevermore

by bunnybunz



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), F/M, Fluff, angst angst angst, ganondorf more like ganonDORK, its love triangle time bbs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-12
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-14 08:11:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11778990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnybunz/pseuds/bunnybunz
Summary: In a moment of peril, you are kidnapped by the Dark Lord Ganondorf, who strikes the land of Hyrule into chaos.While trapped in Ganondorf's castle, you meet Dark Link,  an enigma who both attracts and repels you with his sadistic streak, and uncannily similar appearance to your past unrequited love, Link; who vanished without a trace seven years ago.However, you soon realize there are darker secrets to Ganondorf's plans to take power, and you must find the Hero of Time and Light to help him rid of evil-- but who, and where could he be?





	1. He Looked to You

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Forevermore! Some of you may be familiar to my story on Deviantart under the name Xbunnybunz. I am reposting my work on AO3, with some minor changes. The link to my deviantart account can be found in the endnotes, but without further ado, please enjoy the story!

_Hyrule, a beautiful land for the kind of heart and pure in spirit. The expansive fields, covered in stretches of hills and small lively towns, were ruled by the beautiful Princess Zelda, and her all-mighty father, the King.  It is here that dreams are turned into a reality, a true land of paradise and unbidden secrets._

_As the years fly by, trouble begins to brew in a land hidden past the rocky terrain and valleys, known as the forbidden Gerudo Valley, a mountainous lair to those who are skilled in thievery, deception, and manipulation. It beholds the sight of Hyrule unridden with toils or pains, and greed overtakes all senses, bubbling and festering to the surface. Dark clouds circle overhead, and slowly consume the sunny skies of Hyrule._

_Meanwhile, deep in the Kokiri forest, far into the Lost Woods, past the tall trees and overgrown shrubbery is where our story begins. In a meadow created for elven beings known as Kokiri, those destined to live long lives as children forever, a single child stands far from the rest of them, outcasted, and never accepted as a Kokiri. One must wonder... What of his fate? Will he ever truly belong anywhere?_

_It is here that the tale of a fated Hero and an unlikely Heroine arises, pitting themselves against an overbearing force save Hyrule from the bane of evil, forevermore._

* * *

 

A child's pitchy voice echoed through the desolate area of The Lost Forest, bouncing from towering tree to towering tree.  
  
"No one likes you! Where did you even come from, freak?"  
  
"Yeah! You don’t have a faerie like the rest of us!”  Another added, his voice grating and mean.  
  
“Misfit! misfit!”   
  
Mocking laughter reverberated throughout the forest, but to someone who wasn’t listening carefully; it’d just sound like the whistling of the wind.  
  
If you hadn’t been strolling in the Lost Woods that day, you wouldn’t have heard the commotion.  
If you hadn’t been listening so carefully, you would’ve never met him.  
  
You were seven years old, waltzing around the forest without a care in the world. At the moment, you were humming a lively tune and gathering fresh flowers for your flower crown.   
Bending down, you see a particularly pink flower and gently pluck it flower from the stem, careful not to pull up the roots and harm the plant.  
  
Plopping yourself down on the plush grass, you gaze at the colorful bunches of flowers and pondered on which colors to use for your crown.   
You had made a blue one yesterday, and an orange one the day before… Er... Maybe you were running out of things to do.

Well, it wasn't as if Kokiri Forest was a very interesting place, anyways. You had done nearly all the exploring that there was to be done, and pestered your friends until they offered you rupees to leave them alone.  
Ah, yes, the joyous life of a Kokiri child.  
  
Ahahaha…!  
  
Your ears picked up on a foreign noise, and you furrowed your brows, attention piqued. _  
  
_ You swore that you could hear the distinct sounds of laughter, but it faded away so quickly that you weren’t too sure.  
  
You only knew one person who would come into the woods for entertainment, and that was Saria. However, you knew that Saria’s sweet, little giggles couldn’t be as obnoxious as the mischievous cackles you had just heard.   
  
It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that this meant trouble.  
  
You strained your ears and pursed your lips, focusing to pick up on any other kinds of sounds.  
  
Thanks to your keen Kokiri hearing, you picked up the very slight sounds distress, as if something was whimpering and crying.  
That new fact only served to confirm your suspicions, there was definitely something  _weird_  going on deeper in the forest.  
  
You stood up, letting the braid of flowers fall from your lap, long forgotten.  
  
Whatever was happening, something- or someone was being hurt, and you wouldn’t just sit around and tolerate it.  
  
Letting your ears become your guide, you hunted for the source of the sounds, wandering around The Lost Woods and burrowing yourself deeper and deeper within this maze of foilage.  
  
”Hey guys, look! He’s looking a bit thirsty, don’t you think? …Maybe we should give him some water. Now, where's that bucket?"  
  
Finally, you stumbled upon a group of young Kokiri children, all of them circling someone like a gaggle of hungry, crooning vultures, clawing and picking at their to-be victim.  
Your eyes frantically searched for a way to dissolve the situation, and you gaped as you turned your eyes to a short boy, his stubby hands supporting a heavy looking bucket of water.  
  
”Hey!” You gasped, watching him tip the bucket over their victim. "Don't-!"  
  
It was too late.  
  
The water in the bucket sloshed over the edge and spilled, drenching whomever they were tormenting.  
  
Everyone in the little group began cheering mirthfully, and you wondered in disgust if they had a reason to be so cruel, or if had been boredom that left them to resort to bullying.

As you edged closer to the offending Kokiri, none of them turned to look at you, either unaware of your appearance or deciding to ignore it. Considering your mischievous nature, known to many of the residents in Kokiri Forest as "troublesome," you knew your detected appearance would elicit at least  _some_ reaction from these goons.

With this, concluded that a surprise attack would be in order.  
  
Throwing yourself at the circle with a savage yell, you leaped forward and tackled the group, shoving a few unsuspecting Kokiri aside, ignoring how their frightened screams turned into glares and rude murmurs upon seeing the person who crashed their Big Nasty Bully Party.   
Despite their obvious unwillingness to share their fun with you, they moved aside as a result of your brute force, allowing you a rather grotesque image.  
  
It was the first time you’ve seen blood shed from violence.

You were well acquainted with the specks of blood that came from after falling out of a tree, or slipping on a rock, but those were never inflicted onto you by others, only as a result of your careless little adventures. 

Seeing another Kokiri child on the floor, his body lined with black and blue bruises and covered in scrapes, came as quite a shock to you. Dots of bright red had accumulated on his cuts and water dripped from his hair and clothes. It never occurred to you that pain could be willingly inflicted onto someone else- and to gain pleasure from it?

Your face twisted into a grimace.  
Just as you were about to turn around and give these hooligans a piece of your mind, one of them stepped forwards pushed you backward. Luckily, you quickly caught yourself, but you were sure that his shove was meant to send you hurtling to the floor.  
  
You took a few steps back and dug your heels into the floor, squaring your jaw and glaring up at your assailant. You were met with the sneer of one of the taller boys, most likely the leader, with how the other boys were watching him so amicably.  
  
Silence fell upon the group of rowdy boys as they watched the strange exchange, you and their leader glare holes into each other’s heads, neither of you willing to back down.  
  
You pulled your shoulders back and scowled angrily at him, meeting his challenge head-on. You would rather be forced to swallow a Deku nut than back down from a cowardly bull-headed kid like him.  
  
”What’s the matter, girlie?" He taunted, a nasty cocky tone in his voice, "I suggest you scam before you end up like Link over there.”  
He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the injured boy without even so much as a glance backward. This only served to irritate you further, it was as if he was talking about someone not worth his time. What uncivilized hole did this kid crawl out of? You would make sure to put him back in his place.  
  
Your eyes darted over to where the blond sat on the floor, watching the fight unfold with an unreadable expression.

So Link was that his name?

Your eyes met with his cerulean orbs, and for some reason you couldn’t quite explain yet, your face began to burn.  
Hastily, you tore your gaze from him, attempting to extinguish the heat in your cheeks from sheer mindpower alone.  
  
Thankfully your attacker hadn’t seen the little exchange between you and Link, but unfortunately, he had picked up on the blossoming pinkness on your face.  
  
”What?" He asked incredulously, more to himself than anyone else. "Oh, so that's why you made a big scene! You totally like me!"

You blanched at his unprecedented outburst, and the other Kokiri children around him scratched their heads in confusion, shrugging at each other and even at you.

"Well!" He continued, jabbing a finger into his puffed-out chest, "It isn’t very surprising. With my good looks and charismatic personality, I’m surprised you hadn't confronted me sooner!"

Snapping out of your confused stupor, you cringed when you were met with the sight of him batting his eyelashes at you.  
Suddenly struck by an urge to be  _extremely_  mature, you stuck out your tongue and gagged in his face.

"Hah! You think  _I_  like  _you?_ ” You put your hands on your hips and laughed in his face, not feeling the slightest bit of remorse. "Go back to sleep, idiot!"  
  
The other Kokiri children gasped and murmured amongst themselves, surprised at your blatant disrespect to the taller child.

At the ever growing whisper, the leader clenched his fists at his sides, slowly turning red in the face- from embarrassment or from anger, you weren’t sure- and weren’t keen on finding out.

Slowly, you edged your way towards the blue-eyed boy on the floor, formulating an intricate escape plan in your head that involved _lots_ of running.  
Suddenly, the taller Kokiri child threw his hands up in the air, exploding in a fit of rage and making you jump.

“Fine!” He shouted, “Fine! If you don’t like me, then you obviously came to cause trouble for us!” He stomped his foot like a toddler, and you cast a weary glance at his friends, who were slowly closing in like a pack of predators.

”Come on guys, let’s show her what happens when you mess with us!”  
He jerked his chin in your direction, signaling his goons to surround you.  
  
Immediately, cheering and snickering filled the air around you as they moved in, clearly starved of entertainment for too long.  
  
You took a defensive stance, eyes darting back and forth and watching anyone that was standing too close to you.   
Within mere seconds, you were attacked.  
Someone had grabbed your arm and pulled you in their direction- slamming their elbow into your ribcage.  
  
You sucked in a sharp gasp at the pain that overcame you, panic filling your senses, but then you remembered a little something you found earlier that could _really_ help you out just about now.  
Playing a sly little smile on your face, an idea formed in your mind.  
You had just the thing to teach these dumb ruffians a lesson! In fact, you had found it earlier after bothering Mido enough that he sent you to the secret entrance himself.  
  
You reached into your Kokiri boot and whipped out a small sword with a wooden handle, pointing the tip of it’s blade directly at your captor’s nose, striking what you hoped was a cool pose.  
  
Grinning victoriously, you savored the fear that paled the young Kokiri’s countenance, even daring to wave it slightly, watching as his eyes followed the blade’s every movement.

Fight fire with fire, right?  
  
The violent uproar had once again died down into a deafening silence, but this one was from fear.   
You could feel all of their eyes on you, all wide with shock.   
You could feel the stare of two blue orbs in particular, piercing your skull and making you sweat a bit from anxiety.  
  
You heard the tall boy choke next to you, his words squeaky and scared compared to his loud, proclaiming voice from before.  
”Y-You stole the sacred Kokiri Sword?”  
  
You snickered and turned to him without moving your arm, your eyes flashing tauntingly.  
”Oh no, I didn’t steal it! I have a conscience, unlike _some_ people.” You fixed him with a glare. “I just… Borrowed it.”  
  
”…Speaking of which,” 

You carefully twisted the sword, admiring the way bits of sunlight coming through the trees glinted off of the sharp metallic blade.  
”I never got to use it. Maybe I can try it out right now?”  
  
Although you were calm on your exterior, you were losing it on the inside. You hadn’t had this much fun since your neighbor taught you how to climb onto the roof of the Kokiri store!

The rush of adrenaline you got from this ordeal would’ve been alarming, if it wasn’t for the fact that you knew you wouldn’t hurt anyone.  
If anything, you were just hoping to scare them away, perhaps they’d even leave this poor Link boy alone for a while.  
  
But they didn’t have to know that.  
  
The boy at the end of the sword was shaking like a leaf, and everyone watching you was wanton with terror.  
  
Suddenly, with a high-pitched scream that startled even yourself, the Kokiri child grasping onto your arm threw you off of him and ran for the hills.  
You stumbled for a bit, everyone watching as he sprinted as quickly as his short legs could allow, escaping from your wrath and babbling something about you being an “irredeemable bully.”

Before you could even begin to get offended, the rest of the boys ran for the exit as well, all of them screaming and shouting, fearing for their lives.  
Witnessing the hasty retreat was simultaneously hilarious and a bit saddening, all of them tumbling over each other, tripping and stepping on others as they hastily made their departure.  
Eventually, their leader also turned to make an escape.  
  
Before he left, however, he turned and pointed an accusing finger in your direction.  
  
”I’m telling Mido that you stole the sacred Sword!”  
  
You quickly threw a glance behind you at Link, who had a blank expression upon his face, not taking his eyes off his assailant.  
Turning back to the obnoxious boy in front of you, you snickered.  
  
“Don’t talk too much, or it’s _off_ with your tongue!”  
As you said this, you slashed the air with the sword, producing a feminine scream from him.  
  
Upon seeing this, he turned on his heels and scrambling out of the woods.  
”Y-you’re a lunatic!”  
  
You watched as he fled, seeing how his body grew smaller and smaller as he ran further and further away. His footsteps grew more and more distant, until you could hear nothing more than the sounds of birds and the spring breeze around you.  
  
Heaving a great sigh, you dropped the sword onto the floor and crossed your arms.  
Boring or not, you normally wouldn’t have done something so bold. There were so many of them, and normally you wouldn’t have taken such a big risk.  
So many things could’ve gone wrong with what just happened, and you would’ve been the dummy to start it all.  
  
You took a deep breath, turning to face the injured boy who still sat on the grassy floor, unmoving.  
Wiping your clammy hands on your skirt, you offered him a weak smile and walked over, sticking out a hand to help him up.  
  
”Hi! My name is (Y/N)!”  
  
You blinked, almost offended, as you watched Link completely refuse your hand and get up himself.  
  
Seeing that he wasn't willing to talk, you started another topic while attempting to suppress the heat coming to your face.  
  
”Honestly, those boys can be so stupid! Don’t mind them, they’re just jealous that the Great Deku Tree doesn't like them as much as he likes you.”  
  
Link continued to look intently at you, his face impassive, but his eyes full of all types of emotions.  
  
Feeling nervous under his intense gaze, you broke eye contact and instead, dug into your pockets with nervous hands.  
  
You pulled out a small pink handkerchief and held it out to the blonde, clenching your other hand at your side.  
  
”H-here… You can use this.”  
  
He looked down at the towelette, but didn't make any movements to take it.  
  
Oh, did he really need to make this so nerve-wracking?  
  
Why didn’t he just respond to you? Was he deaf or something?  
  
”You’ll get a cold if you don’t dry yourself off.” You stated, giving yourself an excuse to step a bit closer to him.  
You began dabbing at his wet face with the dry material, carefully navigating around his bruises and cuts.  
  
Your hands shook as you worked, and you hoped that he didn’t notice.  
  
”I-I wish I could do something else to make you feel a bit better…”  
  
You diverted your eyes from him, and caught sight of the bucket on the floor next to his feet.  
  
Suddenly, you came up with a brilliant idea.  
  
You took his hands and opened them, placing the handkerchief within them before closing them.  
  
You could still feel his gaze on you as you knelt down and picked up the metal bucket, which was a fourth of the way filled with water.

Well, it wasn’t as much as he took, but it was something.

Without hesitation, you held the bucket over your head and flipped it.  
  
The chill of the water made you cry out a bit, and your teeth began chattering even if it was the springtime.   
You were soaked to the bone, and you felt your hair cling to your face.  
Your clothes dripped with water, sticking in odd places against your skin.  
  
Still, you stood back up and dropped the bucket onto the floor with a hollow ‘clang.’  
  
You turned to Link and gave him a cheery smile, hoping to finally see some emotion on his face.   
  
”Now, maybe you’ll feel less lonely! See, I’m dripping with water too!”  
  
When your eyes connected with Link's, you flinched. His eyes had widened into two large pools of blue as deep as the sea, filled with so much confusion that you wondered if you had offended him in any way.  
  
Unbeknownst to you, he didn’t think you were odd, nor was he confused as to why you had poured cold water on yourself.  
He wasn’t concerned about how you had a sword on you, and he definitely wasn’t indifferent anymore.  
  
He was in awe.  
  
He was in awe because you, a little girl, had stood up to a bunch of his bullies, and because you had pointed that sword at one of his lifetime assaulters and laughed as he ran away squealing.  
  
And mostly, he was in amazed that you had decided to dump a bucket of water iced-water onto yourself- just to make him feel better.  
  
He looked at you, admiring how silly- yet strong you looked with water sliding down your pinked cheeks.  
Link stared into your eyes, making your heart flutter a bit faster, and he smiled.

* * *

 

Years had passed after that incident, but you knew that even time could never take that memory from you.  
You'd never forget the moment he had graced you one of the sweetest, purest smiles you’ve ever seen, how his eyes had softened just a bit as the corners of his mouth turned upwards.  
  
Since then, it dawned upon you that you wanted to speak to him, despite the strange clenching feeling in your gut that said otherwise. It was kind of like being friends in secret, which was fun in its own odd way.  
  
No one had spoken about the incident again, and you hadn’t even gotten into trouble for “borrowing” the sword. (Which you had shortly returned.)  
  
You two hadn’t spoken to each other much after that, but every once in a while, you’d catch each other staring from across the fields.  
  
Still, no words were exchanged. Only an occasional smile from you, and a curt nod from him. Somewhere along the line, you found yourself daydreaming about the strange boy, your watchful gaze lingering even when he turned away.  
  
Some time after that incident, you had found your clean handkerchief on your doorstep along with a simple note:  
          “Thanks for last time.”  
  
You were surprised at the sweet but simple gesture, you thought he had forgotten about the handkerchief, but you were happy, nonetheless.  
And just like that, your bond with the outcasted boy was solidified.

You left a message with your pink handkerchief at his door reading:   
               “No need for thanks, that's what friends are for!”  
  
Within the next few days, you found the handkerchief at your doorstep again, another message written on a crisp, green leaf for you.  
               “I'm honored. You still remember me?”  
  
You giggled upon seeing this, and scrawled another note to him, once again leaving it at his tree house.  
              “Yes, Link. I remember you."  
  
The next time you came across the towel, there was another message written neatly on the Autumn orange maple leaf from the Kokiri trees,  
               “Stop returning _your_ handkerchief to _me_ , (Y/N).”  
  
And it went on.  
               “You can keep it.”  
  
And on.  
              “Use it to remember me and how you helped me out.”  
  
You replied,   
              “I’ll never forget, Link.”  
  
You hadn’t received a response from that, which you were pleased with. You had won this round.  
However, you would admit that you missed being able to communicate with. Now that both of you weren’t dueling for ownership of the hankie, there was no excuse to talk with him anymore, other than approaching him. (Which your fluttering heart protested against every time you tried.)  
  
Without Link to communicate with, you had no idea what had happened to him when he suddenly disappeared for the past month. Even though you were dying with curiosity, you didn't want to blatantly ask Saria or Mido about it, or it'd rouse suspicion.  
  
So of course, your attention was captured immediately when you heard Saria and Mido talking about Link.  
  
You casually edged your way into the conversation, greeting the two before nonchalantly asking what they were talking about.  
  
“Haven’t you heard? It’s wonderful! Link finally found a fairy, and the Great Deku Tree has sent him on a special quest! Isn’t that great?”  
  
Your eyes widened, and you grinned. You always knew Link was special!  
You remembered how strong he was, even when he was being pushed around constantly. It was destiny for him to become an adventurer, so you were glad for him!  
  
”Hurrumph! I could’ve gone on a quest too! That Link! Since when was he better than me?” Mido huffed, crossing his arms.  
  
Saria giggled, and you smiled.

"Don't be so upset, Mido." Saria chuckled, patting him on the back, "Don't you think that Link deserves to be trusted with a quest?"

Mido grumbled and cast his gaze to the side, muttering something about guarding the gate before stalking away glumly.   
  
Saria watched him walk away, a soft, motherly look to her features; one that you had grown attached to through all these years of knowing her.  
  
"Hey, Saria," You started, "Do you know when Link will return?" You asked aloofly, a poor attempt at concealing your emotions, gazing at the blades of grass brushing your feet as you spoke.  
  
Saria pulled her mouth to the side, furrowing her eyebrows and looking up toward the clouds. "I'm not really sure when he'll be back, but I heard the Deku tree mention something about leaving for a couple of years."  
  
You felt your breath hitch, and your heart skipped a beat; then another.   
Slowly, you look up at the girl in front of you.  
  
"...A couple of years?"

He left without saying goodbye to you?  
  
You coughed, mustering a smile at Saria, unable to look her in the eye.  
  
”Woah... That's longer than I expected.” You choked out, trying desperately to push back the small sting in your eyes.  
You could feel Saria's caring eyes burn into your skull, trying to figure out what had caused your sudden change in demeanor.   
  
Knowing that you had to get out of there before you broke down into a sobbing mess under Saria's gaze; you turned and walked away, waving a hand over your shoulder.  
  
”Sorry Saria, but I just remembered I have something to do… I’ll talk to you later, alright…?”  
  
You could feel Saria's gaze on you, confused as to why you seemed a bit upset, but not stopping you.  
  
As soon as you were out of sight, you turned in the direction of Link’s treehouse, sprinting to the large tree and climbing up the steps.  
  
You didn’t know what you were hoping for as you peered into his adobe.  
It was empty, his bag, his hat, even his extra pair of shoes were gone.  
Even with the sunlight shining into the wooden home, it felt cold and desolate without its owner here.  
  
You felt tears prick at your eyes, but quickly blinked them back.  
Not like you and him were  _that_  closely acquainted. You had helped him once, and that was all. It was nothing special.  
Now that you thought about it, it was a little farfetched that you thought both of you were friends. He never even spoke to you before anyway.  
  
You managed a sad, lopsided smile. It was strange, wasn't it? How you could've been so gullible. All he did was smile at you back in the Lost Woods and you began to hallucinate about being best buddies with him.  
  
There was just something about him that felt like he needed protecting.  
Maybe that was why you were so attached to him in the first place... Just a human instinct to protect the weaker; just like a moth is drawn to light.  
  
You couldn’t help but feel a strange, hanging weight pushing down on your body. You ignored it, climbing down the ladder and walking back slowly to your house, eyes downcast the whole time.  
  
'A fool.' You thought bitterly, 'I'm nothing but a fool.'  
  
As you neared your house, you withheld the urge to leap for the door and lock yourself inside. You diverted your eyes from the door, staring at the floor instead.  
  
Your heart stops, and your hand flies up to your mouth as something catches your eye.  
  
You hadn’t been expecting to receive something at your door again, so you never really looked- but tucked away against the bush was something extraordinarily familiar to you.  
  
It was a crown crafted from flowers, and it looked identical to the one you had been making that day in the Lost Woods, all but the fact that it was completed.  
  
You raised the wreath up to your eyes, admiring the way that the flowers had been strung together. You noted with raised eyebrow that must’ve taken days to complete.  
The colors reminded you of a hazy sunset, hues of pink, purple and orange blended together beautifully.  
  
After marveling it for another few minutes, you decided that it’d look foolish on your head now that you were an older Kokiri, and looped it around your wrist instead.   
  
Eyeing the note on the floor, you picked it up and opened it carefully, admiring the way Link’s neat script stood out against the elegant patterns of the leaf.  
  
In it was a response to your note from months before, one last message to you before he left.  
  
                   “I won’t forget you either.”


	2. But Your Gaze Was Empty

You scribbled some words onto a leaf and stared blankly at it for a while, wondering why you were supposed to care so much about a note like this in the first place.

This was really a waste of your time.

While everyone was having fun outside, you were sitting in your tree hut writing an apology letter to some dingus who deserved everything that happened to him.

A few days ago your Kokiri neighbor, Ferren, had offered a wreath of flowers to you as a way of confessing his feelings to you. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was because he had seen you wearing the loop of flowers around your wrist; the one that Link left for you before he disappeared.

Although both chains of flowers were from the Lost Woods, you could tell that Ferren had put his wreath together hastily, and without heart. None of the flowers' colors matched, and most of the petals from the loop were falling apart already, as compared to Link’s sturdy wreath, whose red, orange, and yellow flowers embodied a sunset.  
It came as no surprise to you that Ferren had a crush on you, since Mido and Saria had told you quite a while back how weird he acted around you. You always assumed it was because he was scared of you, but as long as he didn't bother you, you couldn't care less.

 Normally, you wouldn't have rejected him so harshly, but you still held a  _tiny_  grudge against him.

  _Silence dawned  upon the group of rowdy boys as they watched you and their leader glare holes into each other’s heads._

_You pulled your shoulders back and clenched your jaw, staring him in the face fearlessly._

_”What’s the matter, girlie? I suggest you get outta here before you end up like Link over there.”_

 It had been about seven years since that little incident, and you still despised him with a burning passion.

You thought that you had done justice by scoffing at him and flippantly leaving, but according to Saria, you were just being mean.

“Come on, try to be nice?” Saria pouted, her eyebrows knitting together. "If you know he likes you, then don't be so mean to him! You could've hurt his feelings!"

 You groaned, slamming your forehead onto a nearby tree hut.

 "Do you really think I care about his feelings? Especially after what he did to-"  
You paused, stopping yourself. No one else but the you, the bullies and Link (who was gone) knew about the incident, and you weren't about to revive anyone's memories.

 You felt Saria's gaze on you, waiting for you to finish your sentence.

Fiddling with Link's flower wreath on your wrist, you averted your eyes.

"...I don't like him, alright? Can't we just leave this alone?"

 Saria sighed, her eyes shining in disapproval.

"You turned him away too harshly. You have to apologize to him..."

 "Hah!" You snorted, crossing your arms. "No can do, Saria. No way am I going to apologize to that little-"

 "(Y/N)!" Saria exclaimed, cutting your insult short. "You don't have to do it in person, if you're so against it. Please, at least write a note. I don't want to see any of my Kokiri friends hurt."

 You rolled your eyes, opening your mouth to protest again. You stopped short when you caught sight of Saria's hopeful stare.

 Damn that girl.

 "...Ugh. Fine..." You mumbled, letting your arms fall to your sides, defeated.

 And now, here you are. Writing an apology letter to some idiot who was butthurt over being turned down.

With  _his_  face, you were surprised he wasn't used to being rejected by now. Besides, wasn’t this the second time you had done it? What’s the big deal?

 You scanned your note again, reading it aloud.

 

"Dear Ferren,

Sorry that you have zero redeeming qualities."

                                                

You grinned. It was perfect.

 Unfortunately, Saria wanted you to be nice about it. If you sent him this letter, she would (most likely) make you write another one, which meant you were wasting your own time. Boo on wasting your own time, you say, Boo!

 You crumpled up the note and tossed it behind you, not really caring where it landed.  
You pulled out another fresh leaf, preparing to write another passive aggressive apology before you hear a deafening crash.

You flinch, holding a hand to your heart in an attempt to still it.

 "What was that...?" You ask yourself, peering out your window.

 Your eyes widen and your mouth runs dry.

 "...Huh?"

 You freeze, staring out the window in confusion.

 There in the Kokiri field was a large, ugly, burly man clad in black, purple, and red. He had darkened auburn hair that traveled down his face and sharpened into a beard. The symbol of royalty was embroidered onto his clothes, but he looked more like a barbarian than any acquaintance of Princess Zelda's.

 He was atop a black stallion dressed in spikes, and the horse only served to make him more intimidating than he already was.

 The horse was nothing like you’d ever seen before, almot as if it were otherworldly. It's dark mane was wispy and smokey, giving the appearance that it was on fire. It's eyes were sharp and glowing red, like some of the monsters you've heard about in olden stories.

 You shifted your gaze beyond the man and his horse and saw that he had broken the protective gate between Kokiri and Hyrule field.

 Much to your terror, some gruesome-looking monsters were already clawing their way into your small village.  
Their bony fingers reached out toward your friends, who were currently cowering away from the fiends, but for some reason, did not flee, most likely a command from the towering brute.

 You could hear him bellowing with a loud, thundering voice.

"Where is the girl? I demand the child with the name of Saria to step out, or else everyone in this village is taken as a hostage!"

 "What in the world?" You whispered, your heart thundering in your chest.

 She wouldn’t really turn herself in... Right?

The blood rushing in your ears nearly deafened you as you frantically located Saria in the crowd of Kokiri children.

 "Don't do it Saria... He can't do anything to us Saria," You mumbled to yourself, "I'm sure of it. The royal family wouldn't allow him to, it’s against their code of honor."  
As you say this, your mind reels with thoughts that say otherwise. He may bear the mark of Hylian royalty, but you knew someone so brash and showy could never be part of that prestigious group.

 You watched with clammy hands as Saria stepped out of the crowd, her trembling hands placed neatly by her sides.

At that moment, you felt all of the life being sucked out of you.

 Of course, it wasn't like her to put up a fight. Saria was a strong girl, and you knew that she wasn't scared to put up a struggle, she was just afraid that all of you would have to deal with the repercussions.

Your eyes watered and your bottom lip trembled. You knew that this man was up to no good, and you were sure that Saria knew that too. She had only sacrificed herself so that no one else would get hurt.

 It was always like that, Saria always protected everyone else.

 Saria always protected you.

 But... When the time came, was there ever anyone there to protect her.?

 You decided that now was the time to repay your long owed debt to her. Not this time... Not like this. If no one would protect her now, then it would be up to you.

 Clenching your hands, you stormed over to your door, throwing it open with a resounding crack.

 "SARIA!" You screamed, sprinting toward her.

 All eyes were on you as you ran to stand in between the Kokiri girl and the intimidating man. You threw your hands out to form a pathetic shield for her, lifting your chin to take a good look at the man who had destroyed your home; at that moment you knew what true fear was.

 His narrowed, yellow eyes were mean and daunting, like he had been waiting for someone to storm out and attempt to save Saria.

Although his eyes smiling mockingly at you, his mouth was twisted into a nasty snarl; displaying a hideous row of blackened teeth.

When you found yourself unable to look at his face anymore, you lowered your eyes onto his gear.  
Your eyes landed on his unsheathed, bloodstained sword, and you knew you were done for.

 You felt your knees turn to jelly and your voice evaporate into thin air.

 Do it for her, goddesses please, give me the strength to stay strong for  _her._

 "D-don't touch her!" You snapped. Your voice was sharp, but you had stuttered.

This did not go unheard by the man.

 The man snickered and raised his sword.

You flinched, preparing a blow. Instead, the cold, bloodied sword was placed underneath your chin, forcing you to look up at him again.

 He turned your head side to side with the blade, speaking as he examined you like Cuckoo meat at a marketplace.

"How brave of you, child." He sneered. "It would be a shame to slaughter a thing as brave as you, considering half of the servants in my mansion are as cowardly as mice.." He chortled, and fear wracked your back with shivers.

His voice was like sandpaper against rusted metal. If pure evil and terror had the gift of speech, this was how it'd sound.

You were petrified and disgusted at the same time. This man was looking at you like you as if trying to put a price on you, but unless you wanted a slit throat you had to keep your mouth shut.

 "My condolences, little one." He sneered down at you, "Although I find it most  admirable that you _tried_  to save your friend, she must go!"

 Before you could bat an eyelash, the man threw a handful of black dust all over Saria.  
The first few seconds passed, and nothing happened. Just as you began to wonder if this was some kind of elaborate prank, she rapidly began to deteriorate into thin air.

 "W-What the hell?” You whispered, watching with horror. “Saria?" You called out for her desperately, only to hear her sobbing. Upon hearing her crying, you scream and push the sword away from your neck, throwing yourself at her.

 You ignore your bleeding hand and tried to grab at Saria, only to be met with emptiness.

 "Saria?” You watched her with fear and hopelessness in your eyes. "Saria! What’s happening to you?”

 Saria stared back at you, looking just as confused and frightened as you, the sobs that were raking her small frame shaking her voice as she spoke.

"It's okay, don’t worry about me" She smiled, a tears rolling down her face. "Please, just make sure everyone else is alright.”

 You tried to get a hold of her again and again, but it was futile.

 "Saria," You whimpered, "Saria, no..."

 Saria held your hand, as it to comfort you, before the last of her disappeared into nothingness, leaving you feeling cold and empty.

 You sat there for what seemed like an eternity, feeling the rage and sadness build up and boil over, anger seizing your body and rushing back to you all at once.

 You shot to your feet, spinning on your heel and stabbing a finger at the man.

 "You!" You screamed, your wild, rage fueled eyes landing on the man. "Why? Why her? Why couldn't you just take me instead?!" You screeched, your voice cracking as you collapsed onto the floor once again, searching for Saria in the dirt, digging your fingers into the grass.

 It was as if the cruel world didn't think taking Link away from you was bad enough.

Now your best friend was gone too. And for what reason? A party trick? To make an example out of her?

 You were reduced to nothing but a sobbing mess, and all that you could register in your mind was the distant cackling of the big brute who had probably killed your friend.

 You could hear him speak: "Why, if you wanted to sacrifice yourself, all you had to do was ask!"

 Roughly, he grabbed your arm and pulled you on top of his dark horse.

You didn't have the strength to fight him, and even if you had tried, the words Saria said echoed in your mind: “Keep them safe.”  
Attempting in vain to placate the inner turmoil that was tearing you apart from the inside, you cast a tear-stricken glance at your friends.

You can barely hear them crying sorrowfully while the horse whinnied, rearing up as the man laughed menacingly, tugging on it’s reins. All of the noises blended into one dizzying blast that split your eardrums and forced you to clutch at your ears, desperately trying to block out the raucous sound of defeat.

The man kicked the horse into action, the animal neighing loudly and surging out of Kokiri Village with thundering hooves, stomping on all of the ghouls and beasts that were in it's way.

Slowly, the terrified cries of your friends faded and died out into deafening silence.

All you could hear now were the resounding hooves of the dark horse, taking you further and further away from home.

 


	3. You Found Yourself Grasping

When you had finally calmed down after your hysterical weeping, you were outside of a castle.  
  
It wasn't Princess Zelda's castle, though. You were sure of it.  
  
This mansion was decrpit and falling apart, worn with age and covered in what appeared to be black slime.   
  
Although the moon was shining brighter than ever before, the whole castle seemed to be draped in an eerie shadow that couldn’t be expunged.  
  
Thick vines were crawling up and down the sides of the gloomy castle, as if they were trying to pull it down into the Earth. Dark, heavy clouds hung lowly in the red sky, just barley scraping the tips of the sharpened watchtowers.  
  
The only thing the darkness didn't touch were the flames below the castle, a pool of personal hellfire that lashed at anyone that stepped too close.  
The fiery inferno lapped at the edges of the cracked ground, successfully driving off anyone with the intentions to intrude- or escape.   
You sweat even as you sat several feet from the the flames, the heat spreading onto your skin and enveloping you. Unfortunately, it looked like the only way to get into the castle was to cross a ratty-looking drawbridge on the other side of the flames.  
  
Other than the loud crackling of the raging fire, the whole castle was shrouded in a thick, breath-stifling silence that did not sit well in your mind.   
  
You grimaced at the scene and your eyes flickered away, uncomfortable with the malevolent aura that fell from the building in waves.  
  
Suddenly, you were brought out of your thoughts as the large man sitting in front of you whistled sharply.   
A bit shaken at his sudden action, you scan your surroundings again wearily, wondering what his reasons were.  
  
You didn’t have to think for long, because almost immediately, there was an earsplitting screech of metal on metal.   
Slowly, you could see the drawbridge being lowered. Even from where you were sitting on the stallion, you could tell that the wood on that bridge was rotted and weathered with age.  
  
As soon as the drawbridge hit the ground, several... Unidentifiable creatures scurried out of the mansion and towards you; like hundreds of cockroaches pouring out of a sewer drain.  
Upon closer inspection, you saw that they were skeleton wearing rusted armor- much like the skeleton you had seen crawl into your village a few hours ago.  
  
You were tempted to scream in fear, but instead you bit down on your tongue and held tightly onto your pride, refusing to show anymore weaknesses to the evil brute who had brought you here.  
  
The skeletal people helped the man off of the horse, treating him like a king and speaking to him in clicking voices that sounded like sandpaper to your ears.  
  
"My lord Gannon, how was your journey?"  
  
"Lord Gannon, I have prepared a hot water bath for you inside the bathing chambers."  
  
You shifted your gaze from "Lord Gannon," feeling something prod at you from the side non-too-gently.  
  
"Who is this, my Lord?"  
  
One of the skeleton pointed a sharp, bony finger in your direction, nearly stabbing your eye out. Although the armor-clad skeleton didn't have a face, it looked like it had a certain distaste for you.   
  
"That is my newest servant." Gannon said, smirking at you. "Bring her inside the mansion and prepare her with suitable clothing."  
  
"Yes, my lord."  
  
The skeleton bowed, and then turned toward you. It snarled and reached for you with it's lifeless hands, which you moved away from defiantly.  
  
The skeleton twisted it's jaw into a grimace.  
  
"Hold still!" It hissed at you, snatching your arm with unnecessary force.  
  
You struggled against it's vice-like grip, but surprisingly, the creaking pile of bones was stronger than you. All you could do was stumble off the tall horse hastily, tripping over yourself as you were lead inside of the castle.  
  
The skeleton dragged you across the rickety bridge, Gannon following close behind.  
  
You felt your heartbeat speed up as the flames from below leaped up from between the cracks of the bridge, licking your exposed calves. Unfortunately, your Kokiri dress did little to help. The fire wasn't burning you, but it was still more heat than you were comfortable with.  
  
With each step you took, the bridge shuddered underneath your feet and threatened to give way.  
  
You found yourself walking a bit faster than necessary.   
  
When you had finally made it to the end of the bridge, you nearly plunged yourself into the castle, feeling relief flood your system as you left the dreaded bridge behind you.  
  
Then, something odd happened.  
  
As soon as you set foot into the castle, the sensation of being knocked upside the head with a mallet struck you, rendering you incapable of sight.  
Your vision blurred and deteriorated rapidly, black bleeding into your vision and slowly blinding you.   
Your head swam in pain, and you clenched your teeth to ensure you didn’t make any noises to alert the skeletal soldiers.   
Despite the dangerous situation and hostile servants, you knew that no one has struck you—not yet, at least.  
  
So what had happened?  
  
It was either no one cared, or no one noticed that your vision had been stolen from you.  
If anything, the skeleton only yanked your arm harder, ordering you to "hurry it up."  
  
The dizziness and pain were slowly ebbing away, but your vision was still gone.  
  
You were confused and scared. What had happened to your eyesight?  
  
You remembered Saria mentioning this a while ago after reading ancient scrolls, but you dismissed it as a hokey-pokey riddle that didn’t make sense.  
  
‘Light a blessing, darkness a curse. Yearning both together, yields pain that cannot be nursed.'  
  
Oh, you wished you had asked her what that meant! It was apparent that the evil in this castle had clashed with the light within you- but where did the light come from? Had you come into contact with someone blessed? Or was this a completely unrelated event?  
  
Nothing was making sense, and the confusion did nothing to help your predicament.  
  
You felt your eyes pricking with tears again, but you blinked them back. You were stronger than them. Nothing that they would toss at you could break you. You had to be strong in the face of turmoil- you weren’t a weakling.  
If they weren't going to say anything about your eyesight, you wouldn’t either.  
  
After you were forced to climb stairs and walk down numerous hallways without your sight, you had finally been shoved onto what felt like a chair.  
  
You heard the sound of ruffling clothes before something that felt like balled up clothes were thrown at you.  
  
A familiar clickity, scratchy voice tore through your eardrums,   
  
"Change into those clothes, Kokiri child. Your current clothes will no longer be of any use to you."  
  
The sound of shuffling of footsteps and a loud squeak met your ears, signalling a closed door.  
With all those noises, you concluded that you were now sitting in a closed area, which would probably be your room.  
  
You didn't believe for a second that the skeleton had left the room.   
  
You were feeling quite paranoid of everything in the rotting mansion now.   
What if it had feigned it's footsteps, and instead of leaving, decided to stay and watch you change for some kind of sick entertainment?  
  
No way were you taking those chances.  
  
You sat there for what seemed like hours, listening for any sounds within the room.  
  
After you had finally convinced yourself that no one else was in the room, you rose from the seat and felt around the room for the door.   
Would it be risky to attempt an escape this soon?   
  
Still… It was better than not trying at all, and waiting for god-knows what to happen to you.  
  
Your hand landed on the doorknob, and you swallowed nervously,  slowly turning it in hopes that it wasn’t…  
  
Locked.  
  
"'Ey!" The skeleton called from the other side of the door, "You done?"  
  
You felt it try and turn the doorknob, but you held fast onto it. Only then the throbbing in your hand did you remember you of your wound.  
  
"Er- Not yet!" You yelled through the door, barricading the entrance with your body frantically.  
  
Once the doorknob stopped jiggling, you huffed, officially out of ideas.  
  
It didn't look like you were getting out too easily, but you weren’t going to give up so easily. Besides, it was dumb of you to think that they would leave a new prisoner unattended. They weren’t born yesterday, after all.   
  
Quickly, you changed into the clothes that were given to you.   
  
Normally, you would have protested, but only goddess knows what you were going to be put through here before you could find an escape.  
Your dress had barely shielded you from the flames outside, and although there was no raging fire indoors (or at least, you hoped not) you knew better than to feel safe in here.  
  
Unconsciously, you wriggle around in your new clothing and tug up the sleeves.  It was definitely too baggy, what was up with that?   
  
Only one thing left to do now.  
You lower your fingers to the flowers still wrapped around your wrist, trying to think of a hiding place for it.   
No way did you trust those skeleton goons to take care of your gift.  
  
You blindly feel around for a cabinet or a drawer, and eventually stumble upon a bed.   
Carefully, you unwrap the flower wreath from your arm and place it under the pillows, praying to Din that it would still be there when you came back.  
  
Abruptly, you heard the door slam open, the sound echoing in the room and making you wince.  
  
"'Ight girly, that's enough time fer changing!"  
  
Your arm is grabbed again, and for a moment, you were disgusted at the fact that the skeleton had barged in so unceremoniously.   
  
What if you were still changing?  
  
You stumbled down more staircases and down more hallways, once again, being lead to an unknown destination.  
You had been walking quite quickly before you were thrown to your knees, so when you fell upon the floor, you were sure you had skinned them.  
  
"Kneel before the almighty Lord Gannondorf!" A voice boomed next to your right ear.  
  
You flinched away from the sudden spike in volume, raising a hand to check your ears for signs of bleeding.  
When everyone in the room takes knee, you feel the floor beneath you tremble. Eyebrows furrowed, you had to wonder: just how many of them were there?  
  
"Silence for the almighty Lord Gannondorf!" The voice screeched again, the sound drilling into your mind mercilessly.  
  
All of the beings in the room became dead-silent.  
  
"Greetings, my servants." You heard Gannon boom, "Today, I have called all of you here for one reason, and one reason only!"  
  
You hear snickers and snorts behind you, and you purse your lips, shrinking into your loose clothing.   
After Ganondorf’s announcement, it felt like everyone in the room had their eyes on the newcomer  
  
"Today, I bring back a new servant. Stand, little woman!"  
You barely had time to register what he said before you were pulled to your feet by two sets of bony hands and hoisted onto a stage.  
Struggling to stand on your toes as you are raised off the floor, you curse your Kokiri height under your breath.  
  
" ______, was it? What a darling name for such a darling little Kokiri."   
  
He stretched out the word “Kokiri” in an odd way that sent shivers up your spine, but you pressed your lips together to prevent snapping at him  
  
Following his ambigious statement, the room broke out into cackling laughter at your expense.  
  
You lowered your head, praying that no one could tell that you had lost your sight.   
  
"When this little one stepped up to defend her friend, I knew that she was a tough fighter- but obviously not a good one!" Gannon laughed, and you clenched your fists, trying to keep your temper under control.   
  
You almost couldn’t believe anyone would be cruel enough to find this humorous   
  
"I sent her weakling friend to the cursed Forest Temple, and although this brave one tried, she could do nothing about it!”  
  
The guffawing didn’t stop, and Ganondorf took a moment to yank your head up to his audience.  
“Luckily for her, she wasn’t killed!” You can practically hear the grin in his voice as you struggle against his hold, rage consuming you.   
“Or at least,” You can feel his disgusting breath on your face, “not yet.”  
  
The laughing in the room had increased tenfold and all you could do was listen.   
You wished that you could sink into the floor and disappear to wherever Saria was, wherever Link was- but with the skeletal people holding your arms, you couldn't even stand properly.  
  
"Now," Gannon started again, giving you cheek a patronizing pat before he walked away,  "I knew that with her tough spirit and her feisty attitude, she would be able to achieve many things! She could not save her friends, but she could become a servant in the Dark Lord's Castle! Give her a hand, give her a hand for her bravery!"  
  
The laughter continued, clapping added in to mock you.  
  
"Although she is brave, she cannot be of much use to us in her Kokiri form..." The malevolent statement dripped with fake sorrow, and it didn’t help that the skeletal soldiers cooed demeaningly.  
  
“…But I have a solution to that.”  
  
Your head snapped up as you were forced to your knees yet again, your heart racing.  
  
"Respect for Lord Gannondorf!" You heard someone scream a short ways behind you.  
  
A hand pressed against your skull and slammed your head onto the cold, hard floor. Your mind reeled and you tried to get back up, only for a foot to be placed squarely on your back.  
  
You could hear the laughing in the background growing.  
  
A gasp was ripped from you as something icy cold and pungent was splashed onto you, soaking you through your clothes, your skin, your flesh- it burned, oh goddesses it  _burned-_  
  
"Gone with her Kokiri form!" Gannondorf bellowed.  
  
Jolts of pain shot through your body, lighting it aflame as a head-splitting pain seized your mind. All you could register was pain, white hot pain that rung in your ears and numbed your fingers.  
  
You groan and kneel over, nearly toppling onto the floor after realizing that you were no longer restrained.  
  
Your muscles were ablaze, and even a strangled intake of air sent your body into a frenzy of aches. Your head throbbed angrily and your ears pounded with rushing blood; somehow, you could feel yourself growing.  
  
Your legs and arms were being stretched out, your Kokiri body long gone.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity of suffering, you wrestle with your body to stumble back onto your feet, breathing labored and sweat beading at your head.   
  
"Look!" Gannon cried, and you felt someone shove your shoulder forcefully. "She can still stand!" You attempt to balance yourself, ignoring the urge to fall back down and seize up.  
  
The clothes that were too loose for you before now fit you like a glove.  
  
“You planned this!” You spat, lungs and throat strained from speaking. “Insidious man, you’re nothing but a heartless wretch!”    
  
Your hands ball into fists, and despite all your best efforts, you can feel the dampness on your cheeks.  
Your vocal chords fail you, and you force out a hushed whisper  
  
"…What have you done to me?"  
  
You clock your arm back, but before you could land a blow, you were subdued.  
  
"I'll never forget this!" You hissed at him as you were dragged away kicking, "I’ll never forget  _you!"_  
  
You hear Gannon speak; and you could almost see his putrid smile. “Then remember me.”  
  
The skeleton growled at you, shoving you out the room. "Aw, shaddup! The newcomers are always so noisy!"  
  
When you arrived at your room, you shook the bony hand off your arm and stormed inside the room, closing your door as noisily as possible; making sure that even the laughing, brainless skeleton downstairs could hear your anger.  
  
You lost Saria.  
You lost your home.  
You lost your pride.  
You lost your Kokiri features.  
  
But you still had one thing.  
  
You ran to the bed and nearly tripped over it, managing to steady yourself on the headboard.  
  
Your hand shot under the pillow, and you breathed a sigh of relief when you pulled out the wreath of flowers. You hold the flowers to your face, desperately pressing the rubbery petals against your face.   
Even after all these years, the flowers hadn't died or dried out.   
  
You could still see the gentle hues of pink and orange in your mind.  
  
_Where did you go, Link?_  
  
You recall the overwhelming happiness you felt when you saw the flowers sitting at your doorstep, and only then do you wonder if the flowers were a goodbye present.  
  
No, it couldn’t have been.  
  
Your hands tremble at the thought, tracing delicate petals with the pads of your fingers.  
With just this small gift, you could already tell what kind of person Link was.   
He was patient, courteous, and big-hearted.  
  
He just wasn’t the type of person to disappear and never return.  
  
You closed your eyes, trying to imagine what life would have been like if Link hadn't left Kokiri Village. Would you still be here, drowning in uncertainty and being ridiculed?  
  
A curt knock came at your door.  
  
Your head turned toward the door and your eyes snapped open, narrowing into a seething glare.  
Hadn't they tortured you enough?  
  
It sounded again, three sharp raps rattling the flimsy door.  
  
You waited. Perhaps if you didn't answer, they'd leave you alone. You were just another servant to poke at until the novelty wore off. You weren’t worth their precious time.  
  
**Knock knock knock.**  
  
They were persistent, you’d give them that. Irritably so.  
Then again, if it was the skeleton he would've given you an earful by now, so it surely wasn't him.   
  
Who else could it be?  
  
Warily, you shuffled over to the door and pulled it open.  
  
"Can’t you just leave me alone-"  
"Be quiet."  
  
You were rudely shoved backwards as your visitor made his way into your room and quietly closed the door behind him.  
  
You spun to face him, sick and tired of being everyone’s punching bag. "Who the hell are you? Get out of my room!"  
  
"By Din, be silent!'" The voice hissed impatiently.  
  
You scowled in disbelief.   
Did this idiot seriously think that he could barge into your room and tell you to shut your mouth? You had a long day, and you needed some privacy- even if it meant being secluded in a dingy old room. Your patience was waning, and you weren’t afraid to show him that.   
  
Opening your mouth, you sucked in a deep breath of air, preparing to blow out your intruder’s eardrums.  
  
Before you go through with your plan, a solid bitter object was forced into your mouth.   
  
“Gack!” You gagged, trying to spit the thing out. “-whath ah heck!?”  
  
Your back collides with another solid surface that locks an arm over your torso and presses a freezing hand over your mouth, sealing your lips and forcing you to breathe through your nose.  
  
You try screaming and thrashing about, determined to throw off your captor and rid of the toxic in your mouth.  
Although you were fighting a losing battle, you manage to dig an elbow into his side a few times, to which he hissed and pinned your arms to your side as well.  
  
"Quit it." The voice snapped from behind you. “Just eat it before you get us into trouble!”  
  
Something in your mind clicked, and your tired muscles stopped fighting.  
  
His voice was smooth and low, but his words were spoken resentfully.  
  
He reminded you of someone.  
  
"Your eyesight is gone. I can tell." He said, much to your surprise, "Eat that, and it will be restored to you."  
  
You wondered how the stranger had figured out you weren't able to see. Had it really been so obvious? There was no way that Ganondorf would’ve ignored that, not with the way he was humiliating you earlier.  
Still, you decide to brush it aside. Whoever this person was had a cure for you- good or bad, there was something about him that lowered your defenses.  
  
Could you trust him?  
  
The arm around your ribs constricts painfully, and you begrugingly acknowledge that you don’t have much of a choice.  
  
You bite down on the object, only to dry heave.   
_Disgusting._  It was  **disgusting.**  
There was no way would something so putrid be helpful to anyone.  
  
You began to struggle again, yanking your head from side to side in a futile attempt to shake him off.   
"Stop resisting!" The voice bit out, words falling upon deaf ears.  
  
You send a foot flying backwards, aiming for what you hoped was his kneecap.  
Your captor responded with inhumanly fast reaction time, capturing both of your flailing legs between his and falling to his knees, effectively trapping your legs under his.  
  
“You asked for this.”  
  
Before you could wonder what he meant, the hand sealing your lips plunged two fingers into your mouth, forcing your jaw wide open to make way.  
You choke on the sudden intrusion, feeling the bitter object being forced down your throat by his hand.  
  
The fingers are gone before you can chomp on them, the medicine already moving down your esophagus and dissolving.  
  
You are thrown off of him with a grunt of disgust, leaving you to greedily swallow oxygen and wipe at your watery eyes.  
  
“W-What-” You choke out, “-What was that?”  
  
Silence answers you at first, but then he speaks again.   
  
“Open your eyes.”  
  
You swore on the crest of Hyrule that you knew that voice from somewhere, you knew it- you knew him.   
  
Humiliated and emotionally drained, you slowly raised one eyelid.   
Honestly, you wholeheartedly believed that you would still be blind, and that this was another of foul joke to disgrace you again.  
  
Once you had pried your eyes open, you were surprised to find yourself greeted by a darkened room with dirt encrusted floorboards, vision fading in and out, but slowly getting better.  
  
You blinked in disbelief and swept your eyes across the room, taking in the dirty old cot in the corner, your flimsy new wardrobe and a tattered chair in the opposite side of the room.  
  
You glanced down at the wreath on your wrist. It was still the same shade of pink, orange and purple, just like when you had first gotten it.  
  
Snapping out of your reverie, you gulped nervously and slowly turn to your invader.  
  
It couldn't be him.  
  
You tried to persuade yourself otherwise, but your heart had already started hammering madly in your chest again- just like it used to.  
  
…That voice… You hadn’t heard it in too long.  
  
Your eyes fall upon his shoes, and a jolt shoots through you at the familiarity.   
  
Was it really him? Had he come to save you?  
  
You felt your breath catch in your throat as you take in his face.  
  
"L…” Your heart is soaring.  
  
"Link!" You cried, jumping onto him.  
  
You ignore his hasty attempt to back away from you, annoyance shining in his ruby eyes.  
He was too quick for you to capture in an embrace, but you managed to snag onto his arm, holding it against you desperately.  
  
"Oh, Link! Only the Goddesses know how much I've missed you.” You whispered, pressing his frigid hand to your face.  
  
"Why would you leave us? How could you leave for so long and not tell us when you'll return?"  
  
You laced your fingers with his, breathing becoming shallow when you found how cold they were.  
  
"…You have to come back to Kokiri, Link. We need you."  
  
You need him.  
  
“Please…”  
  
A deafening silence enveloped the room.   
  
He said nothing, as if his childhood friend  hadn’t just spilled their heart out to him.  
  
He felt so cold… You felt… So… Cold…  
  
The silence hung for a long time, turning tense and growing stale in the air. Without much warning, he made a noise of revulsion and tugged at his arm as a warning.  
  
Your grip on his arm tightened, then went slack. He stepped away from you with an uncaring stare.  
  
"...Link...?" You choked out, inaudible sobs wracking your shoulders.  
  
_He was standing right there._  
  
You sunk to the floor, half in shame and half in misery.  
  
_But that wasn’t him._  
  
A spell of quiet traced over the room. Finally, the person before you spoke, his voice uncannily like Link's, but harsher. Angrier. Colder.  
  
"I am not who you are looking for." The Link-look-alike stated blandly, his voice hard and devoid of pity.  
  
You didn't move from your spot on the floor. You wanted to open your mouth and tell him you  _knew,_  but all you could do was stare, loneliness washing over you like a powerful tide.  
  
You watched as he walked towards the door and opened it.  
  
Part of you hoped that maybe he  _was_  Link, and this was something both of you could laugh at in the future.  
Part of you wished that even if he wasn't Link, he'd turn back and envelope you in his arms.   
  
He didn't even spare you a glance as he stepped out of the room and closed the door.


	4. A Hand Held to Reach You

You are shrouded in darkness, but you can hear the slight sounds of crying. A miserable, wailing kind of crying, the kind that, with every sob, the ground underfoot trembles beneath you and the world stops spinning in it’s entirety.

It was no sobbing that an idle heart could muster, only a forlorn one. Pity pulls at your legs to walk closer, and a hallway lights up before your eyes, torches along the wall becoming ablaze with flames that illuminated the cold corrider with scorching light.

With every step you take, the sounds only seem to grow farther, fainter—but increasing in anguish. You break into a sprint as the hall around you begins to fall apart and buckle under it’s own weight, but your legs are heavy, your movements near lethargic.

_“Please, no! Not my sister!”_

It’s as if your lower body has been pulled underwater. No matter the amount you flail and push forwards, you remain stationary. The sobbing is fading, slowly replaced by the light chime of a bell.  
“Who’s there?” Your hands grab onto the wall and you call out into the unending hall in ahead of you, straining your ears for an answer. Under your weight, the wall besides you crumbles and pieces of asphalt fall around you loudly. “Hello? Are you alright?”  
As soon as you take another clumsy step forwards, piece of tile falls from the wall and shatters at your feet, forcing you bring up an arm to shield your face from the explosion of shards.

The faint ringing of a bell is the only thing you can hear above the chaos around you, despite there being nothing but debris and torches around you. It’s distant, but echoes in your mind, like an old, forgotten lullaby you can’t quite remember. Suddenly, there’s a loud crack above your head and the sound of stone giving away, before you are once again blinded by darkness. 

 

A hand balled the front of your shirt and yanked you up and out of your short and fitful slumber.

 

“Get up.” He snarled, giving you a brutal shake. “We have no time for idling about.”

 

You groaned, your body still aching painfully from the previous day and sleep clouding your vision.

Blearily, you turn to look out the window, unsurprised to see that the sun had barely broken through the horizon. The stars still visible in the darkened early morning sky, hanging low and gradually fading into the sunrise.

Unfortunately, your brute of an alarm clock was too impatient to wait. He gave your shirt collar another vicious tug, snapping your head back and forth before he released you with an unneccessarily hard shove.  
  
You weren’t too pleased to be awakened so early, especially in such a rude manner.

You had been tossing and turning all night, trying to think of ways to escape. Silently, you desperately prayed to Nayru, Din and Fafore that the Kokiri children had sent someone to save you from this horrible lair, for someone to give you strength, for something to explain how Link was here, but so very different.

However, even with all the scraps hope you managed to scrounge, you knew all of your prayers were nothing than foolish, forlorn wishes.

The goddesses only stared down at Hyrule from the heavens, almost deriding in their continual silence in response to your ceaseless begging.  
  
You tiredly glare at your assaulter through resentful and bloodshot eyes, still swollen and raw from the tears shed the night before…

  
If one were to listen carefully, perhaps it would be possible to hear a broken heart slowly mending itself back together, only to be halted and crushed underfoot once again.

Every time your eyes laid upon him, you were reminded of the blond-haired, blue-eyed Kokiri you once knew,  his ruby gaze was reminiscent of something you once held dear, yanked out of your grasp and hung above your nose.

In the light of the rising sun, the clone’s features were much more defined. You wondered if you had mistaken his identity yesterday because of the lack of light, or because you were seized by a fit of desperation.

As he stood before you, you found your mind numbed. He was everything, and nothing like Link at the same time.

He had grown, but kept the shape of his younger body in his stance and bearing, hostility shaping his rigid posture. His face was familiar to you, from the slight tilt of his head to the slope of his nose. The dirty blond hair you remembered so vividly from your daydreams had faded out to a lackluster silverish gold, sending your heart twisting painfully.

You force yourself to remember that this man wasn’t the boy you knew as an innocent child.

The proud green robes the Kokiri children wore were shed for something more lacking in color, a blend of muted gray and black that reminded you of Hyrulian funerals.  
Haughtily, he held his nose in the air such as a dignified noble would, though the sword that rested on his back told you of his true standing. He was a swordsman, and a dangerous one too, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.

With the essence of death staring down at you in vile hatred, you knew that even wisest and bravest men would flee in utter terror. But sorrow is a powerful force, and as foolish as your decision may seem to many, you chose the easier option of simply watching the man, leaving your heart to ache and soul to cry out sadly. If you allowed your focus to wander, you could swear you saw a flash of brilliant blue within his otherwise crimson orbs.  
Always narrowed; why was he so suspect of you?  
You moved his grip from your shirt, sluggish in your movements. “What… Have you come for?”

He answered your question with the tip of a sword pressed against the nape of your neck threateningly. From the look on his face, he wasn't pleased that you had touched him so casually.   
  
You inhaled sharply at the cold metal pressing against your flesh, your heartrate picking up slightly. But you remained still, your gaze on the man unfaltering.   
  
Something within you tugged, and you exhaled shakily, shifting uncomfortably with brows furrowed.  
The sword at your neck nicked your skin painfully and the boy next to you growled, his voice chilling you to the core.  
"Do not _dare_  touch me again."  
  
The look in his eyes alone was enough to send blood rushing through your ears, but as the odd sensation in your chest throbbed again, you shivered and begrudgingly gave a quick nod of your head.

Even after that however, the sword wasn't removed.  
  
"Hmp."

He began to dig through a bag that was slung over his shoulder, eyes glued to your meek form on the bed.  
Uncerimoniously, a couple of strange items were dumped onto your bed: the first item being a crystal container of putrid, viscous-looking liquid, then a dangerous collection of glass shards.   
  
The syrupy  liquid inside of the crystal vial looked to be a mixture of dark, unidentifiable purple goop, and gut-churningly filthy water, pieces of filth and foreign growth festering wildly.

The handful of glass on your bed looked like it had once been a beautiful hand sculpted ceramic pot,  now reduced to nothing but pieces of sharp, deadly shards.  
  
You could only stare at the contents sitting on your thin bedsheets, wondering why he had presented them to you. You push the nagging curiousity aside. Questioning him would surely set off the irate man, and you valued your head.  
  
Thankfully, he did the explaining himself.

  
"Do you see this room?” He asked, referring to last night, "See that light? See this blade? Who are you to thank?"  
The sword at your neck pressed further, and soon you could smell the scent of iron on steel, scarlet dewdrops beading on the edges of the wound . You let out a strangled cry of agony.

“Well?”  
  
"Y-You." You fight to keep your hands at your sides, fingers itching to push the offending blade away.  
  
Satisfied with your response, he lessened the pressure on the sword a tad, a sick smile lifting his lips and swelling his cheeks.   
" _Me.”_   He repeated, ruby eyes glowing. “ _I_ saved your life yesterday, hm?" He tutted, sliding the sword lightly against your neck. You tremble at the sensation of splitting skin, your skin becoming undone and pulling apart like a zipper.  


Suddenly, he stopped. He allowed a humorless chuckle to slip.

“Tell me. When  _exactly_ was your sight stolen?”

You gulped, the rise and the fall of your throat pressing tightly against the sword. “D-during entry to the castle.”

 

"If that’s the truth, that must mean you know that _Hero of Light._ He started his statement merrily, only to spit the last phrase like it was poison on his tongue.  This piqued your interest, and you strained to listen as he mused to himself aloud. “…That makes sense.”

 Who was this Hero of Light? You didn’t know too much about Hyrule’s history, but even the thickest moblin could see the clear connection between the name ‘Hero of Light’ and Ganondorf’s title ‘Lord of Darkness.’  
Perhaps all was not lost, after all? Your lips pursed, and in a shaking voice, you tried to pry for answers.  
  
“I… Know of no such person. This Hero of Light you speak of… Who are they?”

“No one of importance to _you_.” He bit out, knuckles whitening on the hilt of his sword.  
  
"…You would be a stiff corpse by now if the Stalfos realized you were blind. They are notorious for being unhonorable scum. Although it would've been amusing to watch them rip you from limb to bloody limb, it could never live up to the show I'll be enjoying for as long as your meager existence persists.”  
  
He gestured to the items on the bed.  
  
"Nonetheless, you owe me with your life.” He smirked as the blood drained from your face.

“Oh, do not worry. I will make your short life worthwhile.” His face twisted into something that you could only describe as a horrific, sadistic smile. "-For me, that is.”  
  
Your body was tense from sitting so rigidly for such a long time, the sharp weapon at your neck forcing you to cramp up. His blantant threats did not help to ease this matter.  
  
"Put this into Gannondorf's goblet. If you are wise, you will hold the empty vial close to your persons, lest someone find it."  
He pointed to the strange concoction, then to the glass shards.   
"Then slip the remains of a shattered vase into the cauldron in the middle of the kitchen. If you fail to do so..."   
He grinned and traced the blade over your already-torn skin, blurring your vision with pain.  
"...Smart Kokiri child, aren’t you? Will you heed by my direction?"  
  
Meekly, you nodded and avoided his smug gaze.  
Your throat cried out in pain as you finally fell from your held position, the clone removing the sword from your nape and chuckling mirthfully as you gripped at the cut, pain almost intolerable. Throwing you another glance, he swept out of the room.  


* * *

  
You spent the rest of the morning trying to solve the puzzle lying in your bed.  
There was something about this odd ordeal that didn’t sit right with you, but you were stumped in figuring out what it was.

Even if you did manage to figure it out, would you dare to disobey? You weren’t too keen on becoming the next headless Halloween exhibit.   
  
Sighing, reached up to touch your neck, the dried blood chipping off your skin and onto your fingertips. You winced. The medical supplies required to heal yourself were nowhere in this room, and it still stung.

Even if you asked politely, you were sure that the Dark Lord would only sneer at your request for a healing kit. The only way to obtain such a luxury was to eventually steal, and although you were normally above such shady behaviors, you sure wouldn’t feel bad about it after yesterday’s events.  
You knew now that your assailant hadn't scratched you to scare you, but also to show other monsters what an easy victim you were, injured on the first day of being in the castle. Well, nothing to be done about that now.  
You pocketed the glass vial of liquid and hid the glass shards in the fabrics of your dress. Heaving a shaky sigh, you began your journey  out of your room and down to the kitchen.  
  
You had run into a few Stalfos on your way to the kitchen and they had done either one of two things. One: attempt to trip you, or two: sneer at you and walk in the opposite direction.   
  
There was an array of skeletal people, each of them still wearing bone chilling armor, though some, you noticed with a raised eyebrow, donned uncharacteristically cute aprons. The kitchen was bustling with activity, the loud clamoring of metal pots and whistling kettles filling the air.  
Rudely, the skeletal warriors shoved each other left and right; not giving a damn if injuries would come of it. As long as they could continue their jobs, they didn't seem to have any other concerns.  
  
There were open fires on nearly every stove, and boiling water around in every cauldron. With all this pushing and shoving, you were sure that you'd get hurt if you overstayed your welcome.   
Although Stalfos couldn't be hurt by these minor things,  _you_  certainly could.   
You wanted to accomplish your mission then get out of here as soon as possible.   
  
Quickly, you made your way to the biggest pot in the center and peered inside. It was full of a brownish-reddish slop, and you grimaced at it. Was that food or pig slop?   
  
After a few quick glances over your shoulder, you dumped the glass shards into the large pot.  
  
“Watch it, lassie.” A Stalfos behind you reached over and added carrots to the mixture, stirring the muck in the pot, miraculously not seeing what you had done.

You swore that you saw your life flash before your eyes as he mixed the contents and a telltale scraping resounded, but he only grimaced, looking disgusted.

“Workin’ our damn boney asses off erryday, only ta be repayed with this shit.” The stalfos turned away from the pot, muttering lowly about the food as he grabbed more vegetables.  
  
Your feet stutter for only half a second, walking away awkwardly and in shock. As soon as you were at a safe distance, you slipped away, hightailing to the other end of the room to locate Ganon’s drinking cup.  
  
"How in the world am I supposed to find  _one cup_  in this cluttered hell hole?" You mumble, threading your way through the crowd of bones and armor.  
Although it seemed easy enough, locating a single golden goblet in a massive kitchen bustling with mostly cranky and impatient Stalfos was hard.   
Asking for assistance in this hostile environment seemed like a suicide mission, so you decided to hunt down the cup by yourself.  
  
You checked every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen, eventually finding the golden cup in the hands of a Stalfos that was strangely determined to slice all the fruit as thinly as possible.  
  
Carefully, you edge over to the Stalfos and brush the cup off of the counter, only sparing him one strange look over your shoulder when you walked away.  
The goblet sat cold in your hands, the rare stones embedded within the cup pressing smoothly into your palms. Rubies and emeralds galore glinted in the afternoon sun, intricate swirls on the edge of the cup showed that it was only meant for the most powerful of royalty—or the flashiest.  
  
You set down the goblet in a somewhat-isolated corner and eyed the vial of bubbling liquid one last time before uncapping it. It comes apart with a small and satisfying "pop," but the scent is anything but pleasant. Scrunching up your nose, you pour the disgusting mixture into Gannon's goblet, slipping the bottle carefully into your pocket.  
All that is left to be done is returning the cup from where you’d found it, but even that proved to be a difficult task. You had returned just in time to see the fruity Stalfos accusing another of taking his cup away.   
  
"I always knew you was a thief!" He screeched, jabbing a bony finger in his victim’s sternum, "Gimmie back the goblet, or so help me!"  
The Stalfos he was talking to retorted angrily, it's jaw unhinging and clicking back into place as it spoke. "Don’t go accusin’ me of such blasphemy! Why don’tcha go back to turning your food into confetti, idiot?"  
The angered Stalfos continued to bark insults at one another, voices raising steadily, a fight threatening to break out. A small circle was beginning to form around the two screaming skeleton, and you could distinctly hear other Stalfos putting out bets on who would go down first. 

“Take that sonuvabitch down, Arastoo!” “Rah! He brawls better than any Hylian guardsmen!” “That’s bullshit! Ain’t swords banned in fistfights?”

  
Taking the swelling chaos to your advantage, you hastily place the goblet back on the table, and flee from the scene, wiping your clammy hands on your dress.  
  
You could only hope that the drink left Gannon crippled or dead, that brute had it coming to him from miles away. You couldn’t stand anything about him- not the way he intentionally terrified people to gain an advantage, or the way he invested in pretty little accessories to brighten his ugly, dim, world. It was what he deserved after what he put you through- after what he had done to Saria.

You hoped he would wrap his fat lips around the goblet and swallow his drink whole, only to end up sputtering in pain, his beady eyes bulging and red from choking on his own swollen tongue. He would slam a beastly large hand on the table before toppling over in his seat, emptying his stomach’s contents through his mouth and nose, laying facefirst in his waste like the disgusting garbage he-  
  
A hard chest collided with your back,  a hand wrapping around your arm before you could be sent flying.

“Lost in thought, are we?”

You turned, irked at the implications. “Weren’t you were the one who ran into me?”

When your eyes connected with crimson ones, your jaw hung slack momentarily before snapping back up, just barely scraping the tip of your tongue.

Instinctively, you flinch back and hold a hand up to your neck.   
  
“Sharp tongue. Mind it, or it may end up missing.” He either didn't care or didn't notice that you had shielded your neck, or that he had run into you. "Have you finished your tasks?"  


You stare at the sword sitting in his sheath a while longer, fear ebbing away as you remember your earlier accomplishments. “…I have.”  
  
He cocks his head to the side in the direction of the noisy kitchen, and you sheepishly duck your head at the sound of battling stalfos. Unknown to you, the shadow dons a small smirk on his face, the tiniest amount of mischievous approval in his visage.  
  
He shifts his hand from your arm to your shoulder, dragging his fingers in a way that makes you want to both pull away and lean closer. His warm breath fans over your neck and ear as he chuckles darkly, the sound low and rich, reverberating in your ears and shooting straight to your plummeting heart, which suddenly stops midfall.

"…Good work." 

After hearing those words, your heart pounds a bit more quickly, almost irregularly. You shiver involuntarily, and you are unsure if it is from disgust, or something else. Link’s smiling face flashes through your mind, and there’s a tug within your soul again. Suddenly the need to put space between your two bodies is overwhelming.  
In a moment of haste, you jerk out of his touch and step away from him, casting a weary look over your shoulder in time to catch his lips fixed in a straight line.

“Keep your hands off of me.”

You hold your breath for one, two, three heartbeats.

A long silence falls upon the both of you, perhaps because of the shock you have for your steady, unfaltering tone, or because of the uncanny way that he looks at you, eyes gleaming with an undeniable edge of danger, and something akin to reluctant interest.

Unbeknowst to both of you, your unprecedented reaction to the shadow has set a chain of events into motion, cobwebs falling away from a tale so rotted with age that it creaks with wear. The fate of Hyrule, after being held at a standstill for so long by two unseen forces locked in a silent duel, finally begins turning like rusted clockwork again.  
At last, the minute hand starts scratching away at the face of time, counting the days before all will fall into turmoil.

 

**Author's Note:**

> http://xbunnybunz.deviantart.com/ << My deviantart account
> 
> Hello you guys! Thank you for reading my story! I hope you all enjoyed it, and if you did, SLAM that kudos button and lemme know what you think! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


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